"Yes... I can feel it. The Brahmarakshasa's power flickered for a moment. Someone is holding him back, but who?" Acharya Tantrik muttered, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he sprinted through the dense jungle. Beside him, the mutated monstrosity Nazim and the lizard-beast tore through the undergrowth. "Whoever it is, just hold on a little longer. I am coming."
A short distance away, Mohna stabilized herself in mid-air. Her hair lashed around her face like a nest of vipers, her eyes glowing with an ethereal light. Her skin had turned a stony grey, mapped by spiderwebs of black cracks. Below her, Kunal drifted in a semi-conscious haze.
The Brahmarakshasa, heaving with exertion, let out a guttural roar. "Witch! You can strike a thousand times, but you won't leave a scratch on me! Behold: Hrīṁ tṛtīyaṁ rūpaṁ, naraka-māyā-hasta-jvālā-kiraṇaḥ!"
Four spectral arms erupted from the demon's torso. From his palms, a torrent of hellfire surged toward Mohna. Her eyes widened in terror. "This is impossible... is this the true power of a Brahmarakshasa? Master... it seems our journey ends here." She closed her eyes, bracing for the incinerating heat.
Suddenly, Kunal's eyes snapped open, though they remained blurred and distant. "Sarvānu-yāyādeśaḥ — Takitrasya prathamaṁ rūpam," he whispered.
He raised his dagger. The three or four spirits bound to his soul manifested instantly, forming a spectral shield around him. In a flash of movement, Kunal vanished, reappearing directly in front of Mohna. Standing atop the swirling spirits as if they were solid ground, he began to deflect the flames with his blade.
"Yaaa!" he screamed, the heat charring his skin.
The Brahmarakshasa doubled his efforts, the flames growing more violent. "Mohna!" Kunal shouted through gritted teeth, blood leaking from his nose and ears. "Merge with me... now!"
Mohna nodded and dove into Kunal's chest. The moment she entered his body, Kunal stopped deflecting. The fire engulfed him entirely.
The Brahmarakshasa ceased his attack, expecting to see ash. Instead, Kunal remained hovering in the air. His clothes were burnt away, leaving his torso bare; only a tattered black dhoti, still smoldering at the edges, remained. His eyes now glowed with a piercing golden radiance. In one hand, he held the black-red flaming dagger; from the palm of the other, a green-tinted koita (machete) manifested. He was no longer merely human.
"Still alive?" the demon sneered. He lunged, grabbing Kunal and slamming him into the earth with a 90-degree vertical strike. The ground shattered upon impact.
As the demon followed up with a crushing punch, Kunal's instincts took over. He spun his dagger, burying it deep into the demon's fist. Without missing a beat, he swung the green koita, severing the monster's other arm. Kunal leaped onto the creature's shoulders, stabbing repeatedly at its throat.
"You wanted to see power?" Kunal hissed. "Behold this form!"
The demon threw a desperate left hook, knocking Kunal back. Within a single second, the creature's wounds began to knit back together. But before it could counter, the Acharya Tantrik burst from the tree line with his two thralls.
"What is this, Rakshasa?" the Acharya mocked. "Tossing me aside only to struggle against my disciple? You've grown weak."
"Weak?" the Brahmarakshasa growled. "Fine. You children want to see power? Bandhanaṁ vimocaya, mudrāṁ bhindhi, sīlitāṁ śaktiṁ udghāṭaya..."
The demon's massive form shrivelled, compressing into the shape of a 6'1" man. He stood with eyes closed, his hair billowing in a wind that didn't exist, as red flames licked the earth at his feet. He opened his eyes and beckoned. "Come. All of you. Together."
The clearing became a blur of violence. Kunal, the Acharya, and the two monsters charged simultaneously. Yet, the Brahmarakshasa blocked every strike with a single hand, moving with fluid, terrifying grace.
The battle spilled out of the forest and into the ruins of Kangari Village. Amidst the corpses and the stench of iron, Kashi lay in his specialized suit, drawing his final, shallow breaths. Just meters away, the world was ending in a storm of magical fists and shockwaves.
The demon landed a heavy blow on Kunal, forcing Mohna's spirit to be ejected from his body. She crashed into the distant trees while Kunal fell to his knees, his strength spent. The demon then neutralized the two mutant monsters with swift strikes to their necks. He turned toward the Acharya, but the old man was faster.
The Acharya trapped the demon's hand with his leg, twisted the limb, and pinned him to the floor. "Aśuddhān baddhaṁ karotu; kālānāṁ kālī—jayatu Māṁ Kālī!"
"You are strong," the Acharya panted, "but do not forget my years of penance. Now, give me the Knowledge. Do not waste my time!"
"Fool," the demon spat. "That knowledge brings only ruin. But if you crave destruction... so be it."
The Brahmarakshasa reached into his own mouth and tore out his tongue. "Take it. It is written here. I penned this while possessing a dog after my death. It contains the mantra for immortality—but it requires a sacrifice. A powerful soul, the blood of a hundred men, and a vessel that is half-alive and half-dead. You must offer that vessel to the Lord of Death himself. If he is not pleased, you will face an end worse than death."
The Acharya looked around at the carnage of the village. A horrific smile touched his lips. "Luck is on my side. There is blood everywhere. I will complete the ritual!"
He sat amidst the bodies, chanting as a green-flamed mandala erupted from the earth. A sacrificial pyre ignited spontaneously.
"Om Yamaya Dharmarajaya Avahayamini Namah!"
As he chanted, the blood of the fallen villagers rose into the air, flowing like crimson rivers into the fire. The Brahmarakshasa watched in shock. "Now," the demon urged, "find the vessel."
The Acharya's eyes locked onto Kashi. With a flick of his hand, Kashi's dying body was hoisted into the air and placed before the pyre.
"And the powerful soul?" the demon asked.
The Acharya turned to him with a terrifying grin. "Are you ready, Brahmarakshasa?"
Using his tantric chains, the Acharya dragged the demon into the sacrificial flames.
"No! You madman! You will die for this!" the demon shrieked as he dissolved into the fire.
The sky turned black. Rain began to fall—not water, but hot grey ashes. A bolt of golden lightning struck the pyre. Kashi's eyes turned stark white. His veins bulged against his skin as his suit began to crack under the pressure of an indwelling deity.
The Acharya prostrated himself. "Lord Dharma! Accept my offering!"
Suddenly, a bloodied Kunal leaped from the shadows. With the last of his strength, he swung his dagger. The Acharya's head left his shoulders before he could finish his prayer.
Kashi's suit exploded. A dark aura of black flames wreathed his body. His eyes were no longer human; his pupils had become intricate, rotating loops.
"Who summoned me?" the entity in Kashi's body roared, his voice sounding like grinding tectonic plates. "Who dared this sacrilege?"
Kunal looked at Kashi—at the cracks forming on his friend's skin as the deity's power threatened to shatter the vessel.
".. in this body..." Kunal whispered, his vision fading. "Save... him..."
Kunal collapsed into unconsciousness. The entity, misinterpreting the final plea as a command, settled into the marrow of Kashi's bones.
Nearby, Nazim groaned as he regained consciousness. He looked up, his eyes widening in horror as he saw the transformed figure of Kashi standing amidst the ashes. "What... what you are still breathing ?"
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UPCOMING: The Descent of Dhrama...